Protection for soot-blowing elements



Oct. 22, 1929. H. J. KERR PROTECTION FOR SOOT BLOWING ELEMENTS Filed June 27, 1924 4%. M ATTORNEYS INVENLI'OR II I -w WLN Patented Get. 22, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOWARD J. KERR, OF EL MORA, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE. BABCOCK & WILCOX COMPANY, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY PROTECTION FOR SCOT-BLOWING ELEMENTS Application filed June 27,

My present invention relates to a protection of soot blower elements particularly where such elements are exposed to high heat conditions and will be best understood from the following description and the annexed drawings of an illustrative embodiment of my invention.

In the arrangement illustrated in the drawings, I have shown. in Fig. 1, a side elevation of a part of a well-known type of water tube boiler with some of the arts broken away and with my invention emb odied therein; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 22 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an end elevation of Fig. 2.

Like parts have like reference numbers in the several Views. The boiler illustrated has vertical uptake headers 10 and vertical downtake headers 11 connected by water tubes 12, the two lower rows13 and 14 of the water tubes being spaced below the main bank of water tubes and the lowermost row 15 connecting the mud drums 16 and 17. l

The main bank of water tubes is provided with vertical transverse baffles 18 and 19. A longitudinal baflie 20 extends along the row 13 of the water tubes, and a vertical baffle 21 extends across the space between the main bank and the row 13. A second longitudinal baffle 22 connects the lower end of the transverse bafile 18 and the vertical baffle 21.

The gases from the furnace chamber below the water tubes sweep upward across substantially the entire length of the tubes 13, 14 and 15 and into the first pass defined by the headers 10 and the baffle 18 and from thence flow back and forth across the main bank in the well-known manner. In order to clean the exteriors of the tubes 13, 14 and 15, I have shown a plurality of soot blower elements ex tending across these rows of tubes with one of the elements located adjacent the vertical baffle 21 and the other two located adjacent the headers 10.

These soot blowers may be of the usual type comprising a tube rotatably supported and provided with nozzles through which steam supplied to one end of the tube may be blown in jets to clean the water tubes. Since these blower tubes have no cooling fluid in them for 1924. Serial No. 722,661.

to be interposed between the blower tube and the direct sweep of the gases and being provided with means by which the supports may be drawn and held in close thermal contact with the water tubes, so that they may be cooled to the temperature of the water tubes themselves and so that, correspondingly, the blower tube 23 1nay also be cooled by reason of its contact with the supports and the fact that, preferably, the supports have portions surrounding blower tube.

' In the illustrative embodiment, the metallic supports 24 have a recess fitting the water tube and extending substantially half way around the tube and also a loop 25 extending around the blower tube 23. Each of the metallic members 24 has a loop member 26 sur rounding the water tube and having its ends extending through the metallic support 24, these ends being provided with nuts 27 by which the loop 26 and consequently the support 24 may be drawn tightly into engagement with the water tube. I have found that this close thermal contact is highly importantbecause a very small space between the support 24 and the water tube will serve to cut off the flow of heat from the support 24 to the water tube, and by providing a means by which this close-thermal contact may be obtained and held, the supports 24 become, in effect, a part of the water tubes, so far as temperature is concerned.

While I have shown the loops 25 as relatively narrow, it will be understood that they may be made very much wider if desired. It will be understood that the loops 25 are of sufficient width and cross sectional area and that the blocks 24 are of sufficient cross section toconduct a substantial amount of heat from the soot blowing element to the water tubes.

Preferably, I arrange the supports 24 so that they form a continuous barrier across the water tubes beneath the blower tube. In the illustrative embodiment, this is accomplished by providing a lip 28 on one side on each support 24 and a lip 29 on the other side of each support, these lips being arranged as shown, so that one extends over the other to form a continuous barrier.

It will be noted that each of the body members is attached to one only of the water tubes, so that as these tubes shift their positions relatively, as may occur due to the varying heat conditions in the boiler, there will be no separation bet-ween the tube and the body member. The arrangement of the overlapping lips 28 and 29 described above, will serve to make the barrier continuous irrespective of shifts between the ends of the several body members.

It will be understood that the arrangement Which I have shown is merely illustrative and that the embodiment of my invention may be widely varied.

I claim: 4

1. In a water tube boiler, a metallic baffle extending across a row of water tubes in the path of gases flowing across the tubes, said bafl'le comprising a plurality of blocks arranged end to end with surfaces in close contact with the water tubes to form a thermal engagement therewith, means whereby said surfaces may be forced into close contact with the water tubes, a soot-blowing element extending across the water tubes in thermal engagement with said baffle on the side thereof opposite the side impinged by the gases flowing across the tubes, and members connected to the baflie and extendingover the blower element at spaced intervals to hold the blower element in operative position.

2. In a water tube boiler, a rotary blower element extending across a row of water tubes, supports for said element comprising a plurality of metallic body members placed end to end along the element, each body member having an extended curved surface contacting with the curved surface of one of the tubes, means connected to each body member whereby its curved surface may be forced into close thermal contact with the water tube, and means on said members to hold the element in position and permit it to rotate, said body members having projecting portions overlapping projecting portions on adjacent body members.

' 8. In a water tube boiler, a rotary blower element extending across a row of Water tubes, supports for-said element comprising a plurality of metallic body members placed end to end along the element, with a separate body member for each water tube, each body member having an extended curved surface contacting with the curved surface of its water tube, clamping means on each body member arranged to force the curved surface of the body member into close thermal contact with its water tube, and means on the body members to hold the element in position, said body members having projecting portions overlapping projecting portions on adjacent body members, whereby a continuous barrier may be maintained when a pair of adjacent body members are moved apart along the blower element.

4. In a water tube boiler, a rotary blower element extending above and across a row of water tubes in the path of gases flowing across the tubes, metallic blocks forming a continuous metallic baffle extending along and beneath said element between the blower element and the gases flowing across the tubes, said baflie having surfaces conforming in contour to the surfaces of the boiler tubes, and means whereby saidsurfaces of the baflle may be forced into contact with said water tubes, said ba'flie being provided with loops surrounding said blowerelement, and said blocks having sufficient cross sectional area to conducta substantial amountof heat from said blower element to said boiler tubes.

5. In a Water tube boiler, a rotary blower element extending above and across a row of watertubes in the path of gases flowing across the tubes, metallic blocks arrangedend to end and forming a continuous metallic baffle extending along and beneath said element between the blower element and the gases flow- I ing across the tubes, said baflie havingsurfaces conforming in contour to the surfaces of the boiler tubes, and means whereby said surfaces ofthe bafiie may be forced into contact with said water tubes, said baflie being provided with loops surrounding said blower element, and said blocks having sufficient cross sectional area to conduct a substantial amount of heat from said blower element to said boiler tubes.

6. In a water tube boiler, a rotary blower element extending above and across a row of water tubes in the path of gases flowing across the tubes, metallic blocks forming a continuous metallic balfle extending along and beneath said element between the blower element and the gases flowing across the tubes,

said baffle having surfaces conforming in contour to the surfaces of the boiler tubes, means whereby said surfaces of the baffle may be forced into contact with said water tubes, and means on said blocks to hold the element in position and permit it to rotate, said blower element being in thermal contact with said body member.

7 Ina water tube boiler, a rotary blower element extending above and across a row of water tubes in the path of gases flowing across the tubes, a refractory wall extending upwardly above said row of water tubes and adjacent the said blower element, metal- "lic blocks forming a continuous metallic baffle extending along and beneath said element between the blower element and the gases flowing across the tubes, said baflie having surfaces conforming in contour to the surfaces of the boiler tubes, means whereby said surfaces of the baffle may be forced into contact with said water tubes, said bafile being provided with loops surrounding said blower element, and said blocks having sufficient cross sectional area to conduct a substantial amount of heat from said blower element to said boiler tubes.

HOWARD J. KERR. 

